At the Sedona Community Center we strive to model the continuous improvement concept, whether collectively in the services we provide, or individually, in our approach towards others and those things we hold most important in our lives.
Recently, we looked at ‘patience’ and ‘forgiveness’ in this column and how research is now proving out the benefits for those of us who endeavor to practice them on a regular basis. While patience and forgiveness are fairly recognizable characteristics, the virtue of ‘humility’ may be a tad more nebulous. You may have heard humorous references to humility, such as someone taking pride in their humbleness. Of course, it is not funny at all, when someone attempts to fake a humble spirit because outwardly it can manifest as self-righteousness or a phony piety.
The well-known poet, Tennyson, said that humility is, “the highest virtue, mother of them all.” As it turns out, seeking and practicing a true humble approach to life, besides being a high virtue, may also help us in many areas of our life, such as—
- Job Performance—Employees who exhibited traits of humbleness received better performance evaluations than those that did not, according to a study by Elsevier, 2011.
- Acceptance of Mortality—A series of five studies revealed that people who have a humble willingness to accept self and life as it is, cope better with the realities of death than those who do not. Kesibir, University of Wisconsin, 2014.
- Improved Leadership Qualities—Leaders who can admit mistakes and possess humility are more effective and better liked overall. Research by Owens and Hekman, University of Buffalo.
- Better Grades for Students—Two studies indicated that the humble students in the test sample had consistently better grades than students who exhibited arrogant tendencies. Rowatt, from the Journal of Positive Psychology, 2007.
- More Helpful to Others—Those humble souls simply have a greater capacity for altruistic motivation in their daily lives. LaBouff, from the Journal of Positive Psychology, 2011.
- Better Relationships—Compelling research indicates that humble and forgiving people not only form stronger individual and group bonds initially, they also are more successful at healing broken relationships. Self and Identity Journal, Davis and associates.
- Heightened Self-Control—Four studies indicated that humility enhances self-control. This was apart from self-esteem, which standing alone, did not increase self-control in the test subjects. Elsevier, Tong and associates, 2014.
It is fascinating that studies are proving out the benefits of humility! While it may be ambiguous to grab hold of at times, a humble mindset can guide us towards a variety of ongoing benefits. At the Sedona Community Center, we endeavor to provide services and activities that will also enhance your lifestyle.
